John Hummers 2007 - Dial up beware

[elgecko]

Saturday July 21, 2007 John Hummer had his tour at his residence. This was my 3rd year in a row attending the tour. I plan to keep attending as long as he is grateful enough to keep giving the tours. It is always spectacular.
The weather could not have been better for a late July outing. Not too hot with a gentle breeze keeping you comfortable when not in a shaded area.

Let’s get the tour started.

It was a very good turnout. I was in the back 3rd of the group.

Here are some non CP boring plants John talked about. Just kidding John.

A dragonfly that sat still for me to photograph.

The easiest CP’s to notice around the pond are the Sarracenia.

 

[elgecko]

 

[elgecko]

A little closer inspection you start to see the dews.

 

[elgecko]

More inspection you can see the seed pods of the VFT’s.

Then following the flower stalks, the VFT’s themselves stat popping through the grass.

And if you are very careful in your search you may just find some Pinguicula.

John is adding an addition onto his house with a nice deck to overlook the bog.

The view.

 

[NeciFiX]

Woo! CP's in their natural habitat, looks like you had a good time. Thanks for the photos!

 

[elgecko]

It was a great time.
He already has told me he is having another tour in late October when many of the sarrs will be at there best.
I might have to go.

 

[ilbasso]

Where does he live? That's just gorgeous.

I'm looking out at a four way intersection and neighbors' houses. It just isn't quite the same.

 

[adnedarn]

that is very very very very cool!! How were the mosquitoes though? That would be awesome to see something like that!

 

[RL7836]

Where does he live? That's just gorgeous.

Just north of Richmond, VA. It's worth the trip - the diversity of the CP as well as associated bog plants / flowers along w/ bog wildlife is remarkable.

While John usually just makes one 'guided' tour around the bog, you can spend as much times as you want doing solo exploring (but staying on the boardwalk**). Like most wild areas, the more time you spend looking - the more cool stuff you find. Also, before & after the tour, there is a great opportunity to meet other folks who are typically interested in CP or native plant enthusiasts.

** before I went down the 1st time, I envisioned a 'boardwalk' similar to those found in parks. Not. This boardwalk is a narrow 'board' walk which snakes around the edge of this bog / pond / marsh.

 

[PlantAKiss]

(but staying on the boardwalk).

lol This is true.

John's place is indeed amazing. As you can see, you can get some awsome photographs. I've been lucky enough to go there but its pretty easy for me...he only lives about 30 min. up the road from my house. A death in the family changed my plans for going this time. My camera was broken at the time I went so I didn't get any photos. I was SO disappointed.

Ron...when did you go there?

Virginia happens to have a lot of well-known CPers...Don Schnell, John Hummer, Bill Scholl, Rob Sacilotto (Botanique). Bill Scholl lives not too far away from John I believe. Meadowview isn't far from John's place either.

So...some of y'all need to move to VA. (One of these days I'm gonna get someone to move to Richmond.) hehe

 

[elgecko]

that is very very very very cool!! How were the mosquitoes though? That would be awesome to see something like that!

No mosquitoes here.
He has aquatic bladderworts and lots of Aldrovanda vesiculosa growing in the bog.


PAK,
Ron went last year with myself and Gale.
We all went to Rob's on Sunday after Johns.

Here's the thread.

John Hummer's / Rob Sacilotto at his nursery Botanique 2006
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104446

I did not mention anything to Rob about visiting last weekend.

One of these times I'm going to see about getting to Meadowview......... Maybe if I go down in the October tour at Johns. I will camp somewhere close to Richmond instead of staying at my sisters in Charlottesville. Then it will not be that far to hit Meadowview for me.

 

[bpullin]

Very sweet. Are his tours by invitation only? If not, how does one find out when they are, and how to get to his site?